June 2013 NEWS The Southwest Portland Post • 7 Citizens give Metro feedback on Southwest Corridor Plan; 45 out of 60 in favor of light rail By Lee Perlman The Southwest Portland Post About 60 people attended and gave input at a public open house on the Southwest Corridor Plan (SWCP) at the Multnomah Center, April 25. The Plan, under the direction of Metro, is an examination of a possible “a high capacity transit” improvement, either light rail or “bus rapid transit” extending from downtown Portland to as far as Sherwood utilizing either Highway 99W or adjacent streets. Those who came were asked to show their preference for one of five transit options, and support for 46 transpor- tation-related projects adjacent to the potential routes. Portland recently completed the Barbur Concept Plan, showing the kind of future development desired on Southwest Barbur Boulevard and adja- cent streets, and suggesting the type of zone changes and public improvements needed to make them happen. Other ju- risdictions have had similar processes. Metro Councilor Bob Stacey told those present that the process’s end result should be “not just high-capacity transit, but a great community through a coordinated plan. We’re taking these great visions and deciding what transit improvements we can do to make them all happen. Your level of interest will be crucial.” Metro planner Malou Wilkinson said that the area covered by the SWCP comprised 11 percent of the Portland metropolitan area. “It’s a really big area with a lot of opportunity,” she said. By July, Wilkinson said, “We want to narrow down the alternatives, and have a small list of improvement pri- orities. We want to know how we can serve the community with local transit projects.” During the open house, 45 people expressed a preference for light rail as opposed to bus rapid transit. For the northernmost part of the route, 47 said a tunnel would be preferable, while 11 called for a surface route. There were 26 people who voted for Barbur Boulevard and 16 for Naito Parkway, as potential surface routes. On the other end of the line for Portland, the vote was 31 to three in favor of access to Portland Community College’s Sylvania Campus by Barbur instead of Capitol Highway. Only one person voted for access via Southwest Haines Road, while 34 said you should use existing routes. Barbur Concept Plan City Council, “There’s an important question regarding the [Barbur] Cross- roads: How does it fit into the matrix of equity?” He said that before making the kind of investment in the area the Plan called for, “I recommend reviewing our fund- ing priorities, and how this investment meets those citywide priorities.” Commissioner Steve Novick said that he lived near Multnomah Village but that “I would feel guilty about having high capacity on Barbur (Boulevard) before attending to (Southeast) Powell Boulevard and 122 nd Avenue.” Commissioner Amanda Fritz had a different reaction. “West Portland Park has one of the highest concentrations (Continued from Page 1) As city planners Jay Sugnet and Morgan Tracey told the City Council, the public input was strongly for en- couraging mixed-use development of four to six stories. Sugnet and Tracey noted the need for significant public investment to make the area safe and accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists, especially in the “Crossroads” area at the junction of Barbur Boulevard, Interstate 5, Capitol Highway, and Taylors Ferry Road. Regarding this point, Andre Baugh, chair of the Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission, told the of Section Eight housing in the city,” she said. “I don’t accept the premise that this has to be either/or. We should figure out a way to do both.” Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. presi- dent Marianne Fitzgerald said that this corridor “has the greatest potential to increase transit ridership of anywhere in the region” – if improvements are made. “Help West Portland Park realize its potential as a town center in more than name,” she said. 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